Top five loudest player grunts recorded in Wimbledon history

Aryna Sabalenka leads the list with the loudest grunting in Wimbledon history.

Grunting is a common practice in tennis; however, it remains a controversial topic. Some tennis stars make very high-pitched screams, while a few players maintain distinctive vocalisations throughout the match. Both circuits, men’s and women’s, have had loud grunters.

From Rafael Nadal and Jimmy Connors to Michelle Larcher de Brito and Monica Seles, the grunts have often caught the attention of the tennis world for all the wrong reasons. Records of the loudest grunts are also well-documented at the oldest tennis tournament, the Wimbledon Championships.

Before moving forward, the World Health Organisation (WHO) classifies a sound of 65 dB or more as noise pollution. Meanwhile, noise above 75 dB is considered detrimental to health. On a similar note, let’s take a look at the top five loudest grunts in Wimbledon history:

5. Monica Seles: 90 dB

Monica Seles, along with Jimmy Connors, is considered a pioneer of tennis grunting. According to the Sun, the screams of the two former Grand Slam champions regularly reached 90 decibels. Seles was louder than Connors and also attracted criticism from Martina Navratilova for her grunts. She described the noises as “cheating” and said, “It has to stop.”

4. Venus Williams: 99 dB

The Williams sisters were famous for loud grunting. It was stated that they used the loud noises to distract their opponents. As per the Wimbledon Championships, the five-time champion boasted a grunt of 99 dB at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.

Meanwhile, Serena Williams admitted in 2009 that her grunt was modelled on Monica Seles. She said on the Late Show with David Letterman, “She’s like the first person that I know that used to grunt loud and hard, so that’s kind of how I modelled my grunt after. Yeah, because you have to have role models when it comes to grunting.”

3. Victoria Azarenka: 104 dB

Victoria Azarenka only made the loud noises during the last set or the ending moments of the match. However, they were significantly loud. Her grunts were like howling sounds and were often annoying for the opponent and the audience. She recorded a loud 104 dB grunt in the Wimbledon Championships.

2. Maria Sharapova: 108 dB

For a long time, former Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova was infamous for having the loudest grunt in professional tennis. However, she had lost the top spot to the latest entry on the list.

The five-time Grand Slam champion’s loudest scream in the English capital was recorded at 108 dB. Interestingly, the 2004 Wimbledon champion’s grunts got louder with time.

1. Aryna Sabalenka: 113 dB

Aryna Sabalenka has recorded a few of the loudest grunts in Wimbledon’s history in the ongoing edition. At 113 dB, the Belarusian tennis star officially has the loudest grunt in the grass Grand Slam’s history. Earlier in the tournament, Wimbledon also displayed a graphic, comparing Sabalenka’s grunt to a lion’s roar, a car horn, and a motorcycle.

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